Collins/Pickett signed

Thanks Travis for alerting us to this. Collins will get $14 million in 2010. Bet he’s partying pretty hard at the moment. Pickett was also extended, and he’ll get $10 million 2010 – $28 million overall for 4 years. Bet he’s eating too much at the moment.

6 Responses to “Collins/Pickett signed”

At first Collins’ deal looked a bit much, but someone at JSonline pointed out an interesting fact. Alot of the portion of his contract is in the uncapped year, so the years following will be manageable should the cap be replaced. And obviously there could be some risk (as we know some players after getting paid pack it in) giving him quite abit upfront money, but as long as its not one of those cases the deal seems reasonable. He’s played well 2 straight years and is talented. He is young, so there are still lots more he can do and improve on. So lets just hope its not a bad case and that he’s around for the 3 years and I think it was a fair agreement between both parties.

In terms of Pickett. This line is solid. Raji I think will have a great career. If Jenkins continues to be a monster, and we are able to keep Jolly around (note legal issues etc), we would have Pickett Raji Jenkins and Jolly. And a surprise return of Harrell would be a big bonus. I like the situation we got for the D line and I think it’s a solid 3 man line.

And here’s what I find really important. Obviously Clay is a huge part, but don’t forget Brad Jones. He picked things up well and is very young. He will improve and help this defense. Having Clay and him, and hopefully we can pick up another solid LB like Clay, this linebacker/linemen set we got on defense is very solid.

I think Collin’s contract is about right with the market. It adds three years to the one year tender contract. So, over four years it averages to about $6.6 million per year. That is slightly under what Rolle got from the Giants last week as a UFA but has more year 1 money then Rolle got. It is also under what the top safeties are earning. Collins could have made HUGE money ($8m+ a year) next off season if a) the packers didn’t franchise him, b) he didn’t get hurt, c) there isn’t a work stoppage. So, Collins gave up the potential for a HUGE payday in order to get a BIG payday a year early. It is almost exactly the same thing Jennings did the year before and Rodgers before that.

I think it is a great strategy for TT. It sends a great message to the locker room. It locks up the young elite talent on the team for less then what it would take to get comparable talent in free agency. It shows the players are willing to take a little less to stay in Green Bay long term.

I would worry about giving Collins a big contract too….if it wasn’t for the fact that we have two pro bowl corners back there that would hand him his butt if he slacks off. He seems to have played up to the expectation of our veteran DB’s and i am glad he didn’t pull a Ryan Grant last season. Atari Bigby, on the other hand is another story. I think he signed his tender but never really showed his difference making ability. We need him to return to form or we have to replace him.